5YA HK Fireside: Yin Ching Hui (China Renaissance) × Ella Zhang (YZi Labs)

At the BNB Chain 5th Anniversary event in Hong Kong, Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs, sat down with Yin Ching HUI, Chairperson of China Renaissance, for a deep conversation. Their fireside spanned the motivations driving institutions into Web3, the unique value of BNB Chain, and the future of Digital Asset Tokens (DAT) and Real World Assets (RWA).

Most recently, China Renaissance announced a strategic partnership with YZi Labs, allocating a dedicated $100 million to BNB - making it the first Hong Kong-listed financial institution globally to  explicitly include BNB as part of its proprietary digital asset allocation.

China Renaissance entered the crypto and blockchain space as early as 2013, facilitating the financing and listing of Canaan, and supporting companies such as Matrixport, HashKey, Amber, and Circle. 

As one of China’s leading financial services institutions, China Renaissance has long been committed to serving new economy enterprises - from internet unicorns in the Web2 era to pioneering innovators in Web3. Its guiding philosophy has always been to “stand side by side with entrepreneurs, becoming collaborators and supporters from the earliest stage.”

From Skepticism to Adoption: The Institutional Journey

Hui described the mindset shift of traditional financial institutions entering Web3:“From skeptical to cautious, and finally, decisive.”

Since China Renaissance’s announcement, many large financial institutions and family offices have sought to learn more about BNB and BNB Chain. Starting with just a 1% allocation, HUI predicted that institutional exposure could eventually grow to 5–10%, reflecting BNB’s strong growth potential.

She outlined three core concerns for traditional institutions:

• Regulation: Countries are competing on crypto policy, but only by easing restrictions while ensuring investor protection can the technology truly advance.
• Token growth potential: Institutions are looking for a chain that balances high-frequency, compliant, and efficient transactions - creating opportunities for money market funds (MMFs), ETFs, and more.
• Liquidity: More positive signals from experts, academics, and regulators are needed to help the market identify quality on-chain assets.

“China Renaissance is not only striving to become a bridge between Web2 and Web3, but also to leverage our expertise in investment banking, asset management, and wealth management to establish ourselves as the most iconic investment bank of the Web3 era.”

Why BNB: Focus, Selectivity, and Deep Due Diligence

China Renaissance’s choice to work deeply with BNB Chain was neither impulsive nor opportunistic - it was the result of a long-term methodology and systematic due diligence.

1. A Principle of Focus

“I am someone who believes in focus - I don’t look left or right.”

Hui emphasized the firm’s philosophy of “focus and depth” over breadth: fewer but higher-quality bets, China Renaissance chose to concentrate on BNB Chain, aiming to create compounding long-term value.

2. Mutual Selectivity

“Everyone knows gold, the US dollar, and Bitcoin as risk-hedging and value-preserving assets. BNB Chain is different - it represents productivity, backed by a vast ecosystem, making it a solid investment foundation.”

She recalled a friend jokingly calling BNB “a stablecoin” in private conversations, “because its base is solid.” With developers, RWAs, and DeFi products continuously building on it, Hui sees even greater growth potential ahead.

Ella Zhang added:

 “We chose China Renaissance as a strategic partner after a deliberate process. While we appreciate capital to hold BNB — what matters more is a partner who can advance compliance, institutional access, real world adoption, and long-term growth. We committed to support such focused, professional and in-depth collaboration.”

3. Comprehensive Due Diligence

Hui explained that their diligence covered technology, security, compliance, ecosystem fundamentals, liquidity, and pricing efficiency. Based on this, China Renaissance believes BNB and BNB Chain demonstrate clear advantages in “productivity and ecosystem depth.”

DAT and RWA: Connecting TradFi and DeFi

The $100 million BNB initiative is more than a treasury allocation - it marks the beginning of deeper collaboration. Looking ahead, China Renaissance plans to leverage its financial expertise with YZi Labs to advance RWA and token securitization opportunities on BNB Chain, supporting entrepreneurs to scale their projects into industry leaders.

Examples include:

• RWA and securitization: “Bringing real-world assets onto public blockchains, while enabling on-chain projects to access securitization and capital markets. This is a key direction of our partnership with YZi Labs.”
• Wealth management logic: Hui outlined how large institutions typically allocate assets - 30% stable assets, 20% moderate growth, 10% opportunistic. BNB, she expected, could evolve into a core “foundational” category within such portfolios.

Ella reinforced the vision:

 “This is a pivotal moment. On one hand, global regulatory clarity is emerging, with the market pushing a series of legislation, including the Genius Act and Clarity Act, to bring cryptocurrencies into the mainstream and advance compliance processes. On the other hand, the convergence of TradFi and DeFi, is accelerating driven by market demand. This not only means that institutions are starting to take on-chain assets and infrastructure more seriously, but also that compliance, transparency, and innovation are gradually converging into a single thread. This presents unprecedented opportunities for the BNB ecosystem and the entire industry."

Embracing Change

During the live AMA, Hui compared the current Web3 wave to the rise of China’s mobile internet:

“Back then, there was a phrase called ‘Internet Plus,’ much like crypto today. Companies at the forefront grew wings of technology, enhancing their productivity and marketing power. Web3 is the same - history will repeat itself. Traditional finance must bravely embrace this opportunity.”

Both speakers agreed that the convergence of TradFi and DeFi is irreversible - driven by policy competition, technological efficiency, and liquidity.

Ella concluded:

“On high-performance blockchains, real-time financial settlement, cross-border transactions, and near-zero fees are achievable—things traditional finance cannot accomplish. BNB Chain has the potential to become the infrastructure of the global financial system, and with BNB as the underlying asset and fundamental unit of the financial internet.”

Hui closed the fireside with a personal reflection in Chinese:

“Life is about allowing everything to happen, and everything that happens benefits me. The light boat has already sailed past ten thousand mountains. We are full of confidence in the future of China Renaissance and BNB Chain.”

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